1. Technical Field
One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to three-dimensional modeling. More specifically, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems and methods for automatically determining correspondences between three-dimensional models.
2. Background and Relevant Art
The generation of three-dimensional (3D) content, and in particular 3D characters, is becoming increasingly popular. Animated 3D content, such as 3D characters, is typically included in animated movies, virtual storytelling, video games, industrial applications, simulations, teleconferencing, architecture, social interactions, and personal avatar creation. Despite these emerging uses, the creation and animation of 3D characters is still typically only performed by artists that have specialized training in 3D modeling and animation.
In many cases, a small group of artists, each having specialty training, is required to produce a fully functional 3D character. Specifically, generating a complete 3D character requires building a three-dimensional body frame, adding texture (e.g., skin, eyes, hair) to the character, rigging the character with bones and facial expressions, and adding custom animations to the character. As a result, creating a 3D character becomes a complicated process that typically requires a specially trained artist to complete each step.
One solution towards the creation of 3D characters is represented by character creation systems, also know as avatar systems. Conventional character creation systems allow a single user to create a 3D character. Despite their popularity, however, conventional character creation systems have typically failed to deliver a final result that is both visually compelling as well as unique. In other words, when creating a new 3D character using a conventional character creation system, a user often trades off between creating a 3D character that realistically moves and functions, but that looks like many of the other 3D characters, or creating a unique looking character that does not move correctly and appears to have broken animations.
Along similar lines, users often are unable to successfully import 3D characters, or information corresponding to the 3D character, into a conventional character creation system. For example, when a user creates an external 3D character outside of a character creation system and later imports the 3D character into the character creation system, the character creation system has difficulty integrating the 3D character into the character creation system. In particular, conventional character creation systems are not always able to import an external 3D character, and when a conventional character creation system does attempt to import an external 3D character, the conventional character creation system often imports the character improperly. At best, the conventional character creation system preserves the visual aspect of the 3D character at a high-level, but the character creation system is unable to integrate the character into the 3D character creation system in a manner that allows a user to customize and correctly animate the imported 3D character. Thus, if the user wants an operable 3D character within the character creation system, the user may need to redesign and create the 3D character from scratch within the character creation system, which is often impractical.
Accordingly, these and other problems exist with regard to generating and importing 3D characters in a character creation system.